Interfax: EU ready to cancel Russia sanctions if situation in east Ukraine stabilizes – Usackas

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MOSCOW. Aug 15 (Interfax) – The European Union would not want to continue the sanctions policy regarding Russia and is not ruling out the possibility of canceling the existing measures if the situation in eastern Ukraine stabilizes.

“When clear results in terms of stabilizing the situation in eastern Ukraine appear, of course, the EU will be ready to consider the issue of cancelling the sanctions, though partially the reason for introducing them is the illegal annexation of Crimea, which remains a factor,” EU Ambassador to Moscow Vygaudas Usackas said in an interview with Interfax.

“Of course, this is possible. Sanctions are not a goal in themselves,” Usackas said when asked whether the anti-Russian sanctions could be cancelled in under one year.

“We would not want to go further and introduce new sanctions and we hope that, firstly, in the coming days Russia will show its respect for Ukraine’s statehood and international humanitarian law and will provide humanitarian aid in accordance with international standards. And, secondly, we expect that what [Russian President Vladimir] Putin said yesterday, that Russia would do everything it could for the fastest conflict resolution in Ukraine, will lead to certain actions from Russia,” Usackas said.

 

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